Handling apparatus

Abstract

Upper parallelogram links (8, 8, 5, 12) and lower parallelogram links (14, 14, 12, 17) are series connected at an intermediate driving unit 12 with direction of the journal shafts (7, 7, 10, 10) of the upper parallelogram links and direction of the journal shafts (13, 13, 16, 16) of the lower parallelogram links being perpendicular to each other; thereby a third driving unit 17, to which a shaft of a hand 19 is mounted, is always kept in parallel to a first driving unit 5 irrespective of the position of the hand 19; thus a reliable handling by hand is assured, and also accurate horizontal motions are attainable with conventional computing means.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Handling apparatus comprising: first and second parallelogram linkage mechanisms having a common link, the pivotal axes of the links of said first mechanism being disposed at right angles to those of said second mechanism and the axes of said common link comprising said first mechanism being in a plane substantially parallel to a plane including the axes of said common link comprising said second mechanism;   holding means connected to a link of one of said mechanism opposite said common link;   first power-operated means connected to said first mechanism for angularly moving the connected links thereof relative to each other; and   second power-operated means independent of said first power-operated means connected to said second mechanism for angularly moving the connected links thereof relative to each other.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second mechanisms are arranged so that the pivotal axes of the links thereof are substantially horizontal with the first mechanism positioned above the second mechanism and including power-operated means connected to said first mechanism and to a base for raising and lowering said mechanisms relative to said base. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 including means for operating the raising and lowering power-operated means to maintain the holding means at a substantially constant elevation below the base on operation of the first and/or second power-operated means. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus defined in claim 2 including: means mounting the holding means to the link to which it is connected for angular adjustment about a substantially vertical axis; and   power-operated means connecting to said holding means and to said link for adjusting the angular position of said holding means.